


The Man He Loved

by sonofthanatos



Category: South Park
Genre: Commoner Tweek, M/M, Royal Craig
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 20:14:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16353518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonofthanatos/pseuds/sonofthanatos
Summary: Craig, King of England, abdicates the throne for Tweek while Tweek reflects on their relationship.Craig as Edward VIII and Tweek as Wallis Simpson.





	The Man He Loved

Tweek sat huddled in Token’s living room, trying to come to terms with what was happening.  
Jimmy sat nearby, fingering his crutches; for the first time since he and Tweek had become friends he didn’t seem to know what to say. Clyde paced anxiously, checking the time every few seconds, his eyes bouncing between the clock, the TV, and Tweek. Token sat next to Tweek, rubbing his back.  
The room was completely silent. The TV was muted, they hadn’t bothered with a fire, and even the clock seemed muted.

 

It had started out so simply; when Tweek had joined their friend circle, he had never dreamed that he would ever hobnob with royalty. He knew they were friends with Prince Craig, heir to the throne and the next King of England and Emperor of India, but he had assumed that they would never meet, or at best they might briefly cross paths at a party somewhere. His parents had urged him to at least get a picture to use to advertise their coffee business back in the US.

Well, he had accomplished that beyond their wildest expectations.

A brief meeting at a party had become a quick friendship, and Tweek had become a regular fixture at the Palace. He had even met the King and Queen! If it hadn’t been for Prince Craig, he never could have managed it, but the stoic prince had given him the strength and courage to be presented to them. His parents had proudly displayed the picture in their coffee shop.

When Craig had kissed him for the first time, Tweek had felt like he knew what heaven was. Their friends let them use their homes and flats for their trysts, and Tweek often stayed over at the palace. Officially they didn’t share a room overnight, but in reality they hated being far apart. Soon enough they were sharing a bed nightly no matter where they stayed.

Tweek wasn’t 100% sure where the first rumors had started, where the first whispers began, but as time went on the American newspapers began to speculate, with greater and greater fervor, about the relationship between the heir to the throne and the American boy. The British newspapers were thankfully silent, but how long would that last?

His parents, originally not only supportive but encouraging, began to avoid the press, pleading for their son’s privacy. That didn’t stop the hate mail from pouring into their shop.

The King and Queen, whom Tweek had really only met once, had forbidden their son from bringing the boy into their presence and banned him from the Palace; Craig had brought Tweek to his private home or one of their friends places from then on.

All the while Craig swore to protect Tweek. He vowed that he would never abandon the blonde boy, that he would stand by him forever. Even then, Tweek didn’t grasp the enormity of what was happening.

As the scandal reached a fever pitch across the ocean, Craig’s friends tried to talk sense into him, urged him to try to marry and produce an heir to get rid of the headlines. Tweek himself suggested they cool off and take a break from each other. It was the first time he had ever seen the prince shaken and hysterical as the noirette clung to him, begged him not to leave him. Unable to leave him to despair, Tweek stayed where he was, despite his increasing misgivings and the dawning realization that he had let things go much too far.

Then 11 months ago…dear God, was it really less than a year? It felt like forever…the worst thing had happened. The situation had erupted from “concerning” to “catastrophic” and “constitutional crisis”.

The King had died. Suddenly, Craig was the King-Emperor, ruler of the British Empire. Tweek now shared a bed with a man who ruled more than 1 BILLION subjects.

In theory, Craig was now invincible. He was able to do as he pleased, marry who he wanted – and there was no doubt in anybody’s mind who he wanted to marry.

In reality, he was a prisoner. If he disagreed with the government, it would spark a crisis. If the government told him who to marry he would have to obey. The Prime Minister had made it clear to him from the outset that marrying an American boy with ex-boyfriends would cause incredible political and personal chaos, risk lurid headlines, and ultimately could not be approved.

Craig had sought counsel from other ministers, which was unconstitutional in and of itself. He had sought the opinions of other governments within the Empire, hoping to rally support; unfortunately they were unanimous in their disagreement. Tweek’s misgivings had moved into full panic as he finally realized that instead of infatuation or a passionate but short romance, as he had convinced himself it was, Craig’s love had grown into almost an obsession with him.

At long last, the scandal that had festered for so long had blown up in England. An archbishop had denounced the King for his relationship, and the papers ran the story like there was no tomorrow.

Tweek had been forced to flee his home, surrounded by shouting reporters and flashing cameras. Clyde and Token had shielded him with coats and rushed him to Token’s home in the country; the reporters followed them and set up camp outside, but at least Tweek had some freedom within the house. 

Craig had come to see him and reassure him that he was doing everything within his considerable power to get them married and crown Tweek as King Consort alongside him.  
Despairing, Tweek had finally gathered his courage and done what he should have done a year before; he informed Craig that it was over. He was going back to the United States and never returning. Craig had to find somebody suitable, somebody the government could accept, get married, and move on with his life. Craig had become completely hysterical, crying, screaming, blocking the doors; to everybody’s horror he had grabbed one of his bodyguard’s guns, pointed it at his head, and sworn that if Tweek walked out that door he would pull the trigger.

Frightened beyond measure, Tweek saw that he was completely trapped. If he left, Craig would either kill himself or be institutionalized. His own reputation was in ruins anyways; his parents had blamed him for the chaos and effectively disowned him, he was denied entry into clubs and the upper class despised him. If he left he would be utterly destroyed and he would have nothing and nowhere to go. He only had one option, and that was to stay with Craig and ride out the madness.

It had only been a month ago when Craig had informed him of his decision.

Abdication.

Everybody was against it. There were riots in the street, protesters demanding their King stay with them. The government, horrified, passed resolutions, made speeches, and sent a delegation to plead with the King to reconsider. His sister, Princess Tricia, was terrified at the thought of becoming Queen and begged Craig not to do this to her. Tweek had fallen to his knees sobbing and pled with him.

Craig could not be moved. He would abdicate the throne rather than live without Tweek at his side.

 

The negotiations had ended, the bills passed. Craig had likely signed the papers by now. All they were waiting for was an official announcement, followed by a televised speech from the former King and Emperor, now merely Prince Craig.

Tweek fought the urge to cry.

Clyde suddenly unmuted the television, the news anchor’s voice ringing loudly in the silence as he announced the abdication had gone through. Craig was now a prince again, and his sister was Queen Tricia.

The reporter didn’t seem to know what to say. He quietly repeated the facts of the case; Tweek flinched as his picture appeared on the screen. Clyde sat on the other side of him, and he and Token held Tweek tightly.

D-d-doooooo…d-dooooo you want to g-g-g-go upstairs? You don’t n-n-need to watch this.” Jimmy’s voice was soft and concerned.

Tweek shook his head. “Yes, I do. I have to see this, I promised him I’d watch.”

The others exchanged looks, but before they could comment, the screen changed. A moment later, Craig’s face appeared, sitting behind a desk.

They watched in stunned silence as he confirmed his abdication and pledged allegiance to the new Queen. He spoke of how he wanted to serve his country, his love for his people, and how much he wanted to stay with them.

“But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the man I love.”

That did it. The tears finally fell from Tweek’s eyes. He cried and cried as Craig talked about his duties, his life, his desire to serve and finally his decision to leave the throne.

Craig had trapped him. He had thought loving royalty would set him free, take him to new heights; instead he was reviled, demonized, and spat upon by half the world. He knew too that Craig, with that speech, had effectively chained Tweek to his side; if Tweek ever tried to leave him again, he would be the most hated person in history.

It wasn’t that he didn’t love Craig; he loved the noirette with all his heart. It was agonizing, though, seeing what Craig had done for him, knowing what this would do to them both.

As Craig finished his speech, Tweek turned off the television. Clyde helped him upstairs, and he lay on his bed and cried until he had no tears left.

They had won the battle. Craig was no longer King, they would be free to marry. They would live their lives together, do as they wished, and love each other.

On the other hand they would do it in exile, leaving the country forever, remembered as a tragic but pointless tale. They weren’t part of the Royal Family, they weren’t allowed in the country anymore without the direct permission of the Queen, they had some support but no real role in the United States; they had no purpose anymore but each other.  
Somebody had once said “You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance.”

They had won the battle, but lost the war.


End file.
